By: Ashley Grasinger
(SETON HILL, Pa.)- Seton Hill’s career center now has a new program available to undergrads called the Career Readiness Summit.
“Career readiness is a buzz nationwide,” said Director of Seton Hill’s career center Renèe Starek.
In 2017 the National Association of Colleges and Employers did a survey on career readiness among both college students and employers. NACE wrote “nearly 90 percent of students considered themselves proficient in areas, but less than half of employers agreed.”
The career readiness competency areas include communication, equity & inclusion, leadership, technology, professionalism, teamwork, critical thinking, and career & self-development.
These are the qualities that “employees seek most from college graduates,” according to Starek.
The only area where employees ranked the students higher than the students themselves did was in the technology area. “Students always don’t realize just how tech-savvy they are for the workplace,” said Starek.
“I don’t think that any of those competency areas aren’t things that students don’t know or can’t define,” said Starek. “I think the issue really becomes that it’s when to actually employee it and put it into practice.”
Students that decide to complete the program will have to complete two requirements for each competency area.
“It calls attention to what students are already doing,” said Starek. “For example, we have a lot of student-athletes. That speaks to teamwork.”
Students can enroll in a one-credit course SGS300 Skills for Professional Success to fast-track their progress and satisfy one requirement for each career competency area.
After completing each competency area’s two requirements from the summit guidebook each student will be required to present at the university research conference.
Students who complete the program will be rewarded with a certificate which will be awarded at the spring spotlight awards program and an honors cord for graduation. Students receive a notation on their transcript as well. It also would look good on resumes, Linkedin profiles, interviews, etc.
According to Seton Hill’s website post-graduation placement is at a rate of 95% with almost one-third of undergraduates pursuing graduate study immediately after graduation.
“I plan on being a middle school or high school teacher after I graduate,” wrote English education major Cailyn Keiser. “Honestly, I think I’m only just starting to feel somewhat prepared for my future career. Before my junior year, I didn’t really feel prepared at all. Even now, I still feel a little bit unqualified.”
Many programs at Seton Hill require students to have some sort of internship or shadowing before graduation.
“However, I started some of my education practicum [and] observations this semester,” wrote Keiser. “I think those will help me feel more confident in my preparedness for my future career because I will be directly working with and teaching students.”
“I would say that on the whole, I feel quite prepared for my future career as a music educator,” wrote music education major Dale Streletz. “That does not mean that I am not worried for my future, however.”
Streletz plans on graduating in 2023.
“Sometimes, I find myself worrying about not being good enough to teach and worry about classroom management,” wrote Streletz. “I do recognize that these are quite irrational and feel that after my time student teaching, I will feel much better prepared to teach.”
On Sept. 28 Marisa Corona, a social media and digital marketer will be speaking in Cecilian Hall at 6:30 p.m., and on Oct. 5 at 6:30 p.m. in the Parlors, there will be a networking reception. Both of these events can count toward your career readiness program agenda. Stop into the career center in Reeves 109 or email rstarek@setonhill.edu if you are interested in the career readiness program and want to know more.